Look up your local teacher salaries...
http://www.thechampion.org/teacher/cgi-bin/teacher.pl?ssd=listdist&year=2005
Old relevant article from 2005:
Editorial: Taxpayers, beware school-reform talk
5/23/2005
By Dennis Byrne, a Chicago-area writer and consultant
Chicago Tribune
`Hundreds rally for higher taxes."
Now that's something I'm sorry I missed, but the Copley News Service duly reported that last week "hundreds," indeed, "descended" on lawmakers in Springfield to demand higher taxes for education, which mostly means higher salaries for administrators and teachers.
Lobbyists, three deep, cornered hapless legislators, as the perennial arm-twisting began for "education funding reform," under which individual and corporate income taxes would be raised and property taxes lowered. This has been called a tax "swap," and the concept has merit. But while the name suggests an even trade-off by offsetting an increase in the progressive income tax with a reduction in the regressive property tax, this year's bill does anything but.
Thanks to a splendid reporting job last week by Tribune reporter Diane Rado, we discovered that when you combine the income and property taxes under this year's bill, some homeowners would pay a lot more. Like 20 percent more, ranging up to 40 percent. That is unconscionable.
The unsurprising and justifiable outrage probably had something to do with the bill's sponsor, state Sen. James Meeks, an independent from Calumet City, deciding on Thursday to postpone a vote on the bill, effectively killing it. But not before Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, insisted that no resident's tax burden would go up more than 1.3 percent. With such different views of what the bill does, it's no wonder that one lobbyist said some legislators apparently don't understand the bill. To which I'd add that in light of the Tribune's numbers, some lobbyists might not have a grip either.
Nothing was unclear, though, about the dire warnings. Jeff Cohn, a school board member at Rich Township High School District 227, was quoted in the Daily Southtown with this doomsday prediction: "If we don't get this passed, it means our school will collapse, business will leave and people won't be able sell their homes." Everyone is entitled to a bit of hyperbole, but why didn't he also throw in something about a tsunami bearing down on the south suburbs?
Since he brought up Rich Township High School District 227, let's look at it. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, this on-the-brink-of-collapsing school district last school year paid 47 of its administrators and teachers more than $100,000 in the last school year. After those 47, came 40 who made $90,000 to $100,000, and another 25 lined up after that making $80,000 to $90,000. The highest paid teacher got $131,378, while the average pay was $69,309--for nine months of work. The average administrator salary was $100,549. Topping everyone was the assistant district superintendent, at $194,847. The township's median family income in 2000 was $55,618.
But why pick on Rich Township? You can get figures for any school employee or district in the state by going to www.thechampion.org/schools/salaries.asp. This informative site was put together by the Family Taxpayers Network, using figures for the previous school year provided by the state school board under a Freedom of Information Act request.
So, the state's highest paid administrator was the business manager in north suburban Stevenson District 125, who received $302,746. In 43 state school districts, the average administrative salary topped $100,000. The DuPage County Puffer-Hefty School District 69, with 380 students, topped the list with an average administrative salary of $184,059. (That figure was ballooned by the superintendent's $280,417 annual salary.) Statewide, 38 administrators pulled down more than $200,000.
The state's highest paid teacher ($173,077) worked for the Chicago Public Schools. Outside of Chicago, the honor went to a driver's education teacher at Leyden Community High School District 212, who got $167,389. The highest teachers' average annual salary ($80,082) was paid at Township High School District 211 in the northwest suburbs.
In Chicago, administrators averaged $100,387, with the biggest check going to administrator William McGowan ($224,196). Altogether, more than 1,000 Chicago administrators and teachers were paid more than $100,000 annually.
Northbrook District 28 gave 12 people checks for more than $100,000 for shepherding all of 1,800 students through elementary and junior high school.
Yes, I know that I'm focusing on the higher end of the salary range and that many administrators and teachers--mostly outside the Chicago area--get less. And true, teachers have tough and important jobs. I admire what they do, and because I believe we all should be able to get whatever we can for our talents, I don't begrudge them the money. We all expect much from them, and they ought to be paid well. But just how much is, well, up to the taxpayers to know, and to decide, the next time that the education lobby comes up with such a horrible idea.
http://www.thechampion.org/teacher/cgi-bin/teacher.pl?ssd=listdist&year=2005
Old relevant article from 2005:
Editorial: Taxpayers, beware school-reform talk
5/23/2005
By Dennis Byrne, a Chicago-area writer and consultant
Chicago Tribune
`Hundreds rally for higher taxes."
Now that's something I'm sorry I missed, but the Copley News Service duly reported that last week "hundreds," indeed, "descended" on lawmakers in Springfield to demand higher taxes for education, which mostly means higher salaries for administrators and teachers.
Lobbyists, three deep, cornered hapless legislators, as the perennial arm-twisting began for "education funding reform," under which individual and corporate income taxes would be raised and property taxes lowered. This has been called a tax "swap," and the concept has merit. But while the name suggests an even trade-off by offsetting an increase in the progressive income tax with a reduction in the regressive property tax, this year's bill does anything but.
Thanks to a splendid reporting job last week by Tribune reporter Diane Rado, we discovered that when you combine the income and property taxes under this year's bill, some homeowners would pay a lot more. Like 20 percent more, ranging up to 40 percent. That is unconscionable.
The unsurprising and justifiable outrage probably had something to do with the bill's sponsor, state Sen. James Meeks, an independent from Calumet City, deciding on Thursday to postpone a vote on the bill, effectively killing it. But not before Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, insisted that no resident's tax burden would go up more than 1.3 percent. With such different views of what the bill does, it's no wonder that one lobbyist said some legislators apparently don't understand the bill. To which I'd add that in light of the Tribune's numbers, some lobbyists might not have a grip either.
Nothing was unclear, though, about the dire warnings. Jeff Cohn, a school board member at Rich Township High School District 227, was quoted in the Daily Southtown with this doomsday prediction: "If we don't get this passed, it means our school will collapse, business will leave and people won't be able sell their homes." Everyone is entitled to a bit of hyperbole, but why didn't he also throw in something about a tsunami bearing down on the south suburbs?
Since he brought up Rich Township High School District 227, let's look at it. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, this on-the-brink-of-collapsing school district last school year paid 47 of its administrators and teachers more than $100,000 in the last school year. After those 47, came 40 who made $90,000 to $100,000, and another 25 lined up after that making $80,000 to $90,000. The highest paid teacher got $131,378, while the average pay was $69,309--for nine months of work. The average administrator salary was $100,549. Topping everyone was the assistant district superintendent, at $194,847. The township's median family income in 2000 was $55,618.
But why pick on Rich Township? You can get figures for any school employee or district in the state by going to www.thechampion.org/schools/salaries.asp. This informative site was put together by the Family Taxpayers Network, using figures for the previous school year provided by the state school board under a Freedom of Information Act request.
So, the state's highest paid administrator was the business manager in north suburban Stevenson District 125, who received $302,746. In 43 state school districts, the average administrative salary topped $100,000. The DuPage County Puffer-Hefty School District 69, with 380 students, topped the list with an average administrative salary of $184,059. (That figure was ballooned by the superintendent's $280,417 annual salary.) Statewide, 38 administrators pulled down more than $200,000.
The state's highest paid teacher ($173,077) worked for the Chicago Public Schools. Outside of Chicago, the honor went to a driver's education teacher at Leyden Community High School District 212, who got $167,389. The highest teachers' average annual salary ($80,082) was paid at Township High School District 211 in the northwest suburbs.
In Chicago, administrators averaged $100,387, with the biggest check going to administrator William McGowan ($224,196). Altogether, more than 1,000 Chicago administrators and teachers were paid more than $100,000 annually.
Northbrook District 28 gave 12 people checks for more than $100,000 for shepherding all of 1,800 students through elementary and junior high school.
Yes, I know that I'm focusing on the higher end of the salary range and that many administrators and teachers--mostly outside the Chicago area--get less. And true, teachers have tough and important jobs. I admire what they do, and because I believe we all should be able to get whatever we can for our talents, I don't begrudge them the money. We all expect much from them, and they ought to be paid well. But just how much is, well, up to the taxpayers to know, and to decide, the next time that the education lobby comes up with such a horrible idea.
